The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-12-03

land CoHege, OctooeF 'Ihi 1901, ny Aroi'
W. R. Mcdaniel.
1t is eminently proper for one who makes
a plea, to state in precise and unmistakable
terms what he is pleading for So even
though we may have some ideas of what
is meant by physical culture, l shall run
the risk of being tedious in giving form
to those ideas and in telling in more than
a dictionary way what is meant by it, be-
lieving right understanding to be of itself
a strong argument in its favor.
What then is physical culture? Think
for moment of bush out on the prairie;
it grows, has leaves and bears flower, yet
who stoops to admire it for its growth or
its beauty? Transplant that same bush to
the garden, give it its share of rich nourish-
ing soil, of warm sunshine, train its un-.
shapely branches to the trellis and you
make it the queen of the garden. Its
thrifty stock, rich green leaves, and deli
cately tinted fragrant buds are the admira-
tion of ALL What has wrought the
change? Culture, horticulture as we term
it.
Think of youth who grows up without
seeing the inside of school-house, or even
the inside of book, how he sinks below
his fellows in the scale of life; how pro-
foundly ignorant he is of all the wonders
of the world that surround him, how far
below the place his Creator intended him
for, he is Compare with him the youth
who is sent early to school, and rises
through all grades from the primary to the
high school and college. If he does not
move the world by his thought, he is at
least head and shoulders with his race and
can live life noble in its purposes, and
grand in its achievements. This too is the
result of culture and which in this case we
call mental culture.
Now physical culture is parallelism to
the cases sighted. The prairie rose con-
tanned within itself the capability of be-
coming the garden-queen, the street-urchin
of becoming the statesman, jurist or divine,
and they attained to the utmost reach of
these capabilities by cultivation. The
human body, too, possesses the germ Of
certain perfectability, is capable of attain
ing a certain increased stature, symetry,
strength and soundness, and cultivation
is likewise requisite to bring about these
results.
Physical culture then is to promote and
direct the growth of our bodies, to develope
the highest perfection of form and grace
fulness. It is the means of which develope-
ment in size and action, and healthfulness
is the end. 1t is doing for the body what
education does for the mind, bringing out
all its latent forces, training them to ready,
graceful, useful activity.
Man as we know him comprises three
great parts, each complete in itself yet all
interdependent Every one recognizes the
Importance of the cultivation of the mind
and nothing less than long years of patient
pains-taking labor is spent upon it. Nor
does it ever cease, even when it has been
carried to point where it seems to meet the
demands of life, it must still be sustained by
continued effort. The same is true in ref
erence to that higher and better part Of
man-the soul 1t needs to put into prac-
tise the lessons given from the pulpit, to
follow the ordinances of the church and to
participate in all christian exercises for its
growth in the virtues and graces which
build it up and adorn it. Is it not reason
able then to suppose that there should be
culture of the third part, along with the
culture of the other two which depend
so largely upon it? Would it not be
strange for it alone to come to its best,
without such processes as are granted ne
cessary to develop the other parts, and are
recognized in all other forms of life?
The fact is the body viii not reach its best
without such processes of culture any more
than the mind or soul will and only he
who has carried on the three kinds of cul-
ture can claim the unique distinction of
full developement.
Physical culture is not new idea. 1t
dates back to very early period of the
worlds history, but having once through
abuse, lost the esteem in which it was held,
it seems strangely enough to have been
kept under through centuries. Physical
strength was yeritable god of antiquity,
and therefore traces of crude gymnastic
practise are found among the earliest
nations, but it was in Greece, that same
small district from whence emanated so
much of science, art and literature, SO
much to help onward civilization, that
physical culture first received that syste-
matte attention which raised it to its true
rank among the liberal arts. Here fostered
by the free, active, open-air life Of the
natives, the fondness for it became almost
q rassion In aducatinn II uas held first